Category Archives: s e e n + h e a r d
[ s e e n + h e a r d ] BIBAP 대박!
As they say in Korean 대박! (Daebak/Awesome)
From the producers of the highly lauded Nanta and Jump comes Bibap – a show unlike any other that involves beatboxing, b-boying, singing, martial arts and cooking. The show ran from the 30 March – 01 April 2012 at the Esplanade Theater. I had blogged about the sneak peak that happened in Jurong Point last February.
Set in a bustling restaurant kitchen the Green Chef and the Red Chef display their cooking skills through a showdown. The kitchen transforms into a battleground as the two rival chefs whip up dishes such as Sushi, Pizza, Chicken Noodle and of course Bibimbap. Assisting the two chefs are the MC Chef, Rhythm Chef, Cutie Chef, Sexy Chef, Iron Chef and Rookie Chef. Each of the chefs have their own specialty whether it be something relevant as knife-wielding, something irrelevant such as beatboxing in “infinite rpm” or something weird as the ability to communicate with poultry, all the chefs in this kitchen are not without charm.
The Plasticine Face
One of the things I enjoyed most was the exhibition of each chef’s special talent was incorporated into the story.
The Green Chef with his martial arts skills and what I call the “Plasticine Face” during one scene where it looked like everything was in slow motion. The Red Chef won’t be surpassed with his acrobatics and singing. The MC Chef and the Rhythm chef were in charge of the swag and the sound effects. The beatboxing was a testament to how you can stretch the limits of the human voice. Most of the time I find myself catching my breath as the Rhythm Chef seemed to not take pauses of breath at all. The Sexy Chef and the Cutie Chef provide the vocal talent but they also don’t shy away from the comedic scenes. The power dance duo of the Iron Chef and Rookie Chef elicited the most reaction from the (mostly female) audience.
Being touted as a non-verbal show I was interested to see how the comedy factor would play out. Not to say that b-boying and beatboxing does not have enough appeal, but for a 90-minute show I am not sure how much human produced sound effects and washboard abs (courtesy of the Iron Chef) I can sit through…on second thought the washboard abs would probably help me sit still if said abs were in near proximity.
But I need not worry as there were more than enough visual gags to keep me from falling asleep or from wishing for the washboard abs to materialize. From beginning to end there was not boredom inducing moment because the cast did not spare anything when it came to physical gags.
The audience also participated in more ways – those lucky enough to be during the chosen to go up on stage and taste the culinary masterpiece, or making the longest noodle, why you may even find yourself on a lovely date with a stranger sharing pizza over a cup of red wine. An audience member will also decide the ultimate winner between the Green Chef and the Red Chef. It’s not an easy task as you have to face the whining sore loser – for the show that I watched it was the Red Chef .
Bibap is a show that is true to the nature of the dish it was inspired by – Bibimbap. A unique blend of comedy, b-boying, singing, beatboxing and cooking that is fresh, fun and filling!
image cr: Mediacorp VizPro
[ s e e n + h e a r d ] A Sneak Peak of Bibap!
As most of you may know, I am into all things Hally Wave. Last February 19, a couple of my friends and I caught a sneak preview of bibap – a mix of singing, beatboxing, acrobatics and dancing as eight chefs battle it out in the kitchen. That day it was the Red Chef and the Green Chef who battled it out for the Best Bibimbap!
Definitely loved the energy that the performers had, I think I held my breath for long periods of time during the short performance.
Judging by what we saw that Sunday – the actual performance at the Esplanade from March 30 will be a blast! If you’re looking for something a little bit different – an entertaining and informative show then catch bibap at the from March 30 to April 01, tickets are available through SISTIC.
[ s e e n + h e a r d ] Girl Talk!
Last Friday, I was feeling a little bit down and needed to unwind, I thought that I was in need of “girl talk” so I dropped by at Raffles Hotel to catch Girl Talk. It’s amazing how you can literally find what you’re looking for well…literally.
This is not your average female bonding feel-good musical. It opens with the cast – eccentric Barbara (Tina Jensen), “Ms. Perfect” Janice (Sonya Carter) and the feisty Latina sex therapist Dr. Laura (Priscilla Fernandez) getting us up to our feet while they sing and dance to Let’s Get Loud (yes, that Jennifer Lopez song).
The ladies are the DJs for Girl Talk – a radio show ten years in the running. The musical focuses on the last show for Girl Talk! From biological changes, relationships, sex, cosmetic surgery and unwanted facial hair there were definitely a lot of laughs as there wasn’t any taboo subject at all. It reminded me of my Mum and her friends’ conversations no subject was sacred – bodily fluids, sexual practices and neuroses were all laid out.
Loved the musical numbers too – Macarena, Let’s Get Loud, Before He Cheats, I’m Outta Love and I’m So Excited to name a few. Dr. Laura was a scene stealer the moment she came on stage, and it was hard for me to take my eyes off her because her body language and facial expressions are so hilarious.
It’s not an exaggeration if I were to say that everyone and their mums should come and watch! If you are a woman – in whatever phase of your life you may be in you will find yourself laughing out loud, nodding your head in agreement and getting up to your feet to do a little jig. These lovely ladies will make you feel like they’re your long-time BFFs.
After the show, we took the chance to take pictures with these lovely, quirky ladies!
[ s e e n + h e a r d ] Public Garden Saturday
Hello! I know it has been awhile since I last blogged, I was really super busy lately. I hope to resume my regular blogging schedule for the next months of the year.
Last Saturday I dropped by at the Goodman Arts Centre for the first Public Garden flea of 2012. To be honest I was there mainly for the wonderful baked goodies from { S A D I E R O S E } , here I am with Sarah! Her cookie mustache is adorable! My friend and I bought Earl Grey and Lemon muffins, slices of Banana Maple cake (I hope I got the name right), Red Velvet cake and Chocolate cake and a Caramel cupcake. We were so tempted to sample everything on the table but our waistlines were begging us for some reprieve with all the rich goodies!
I should have taken a picture of the cakes but I had no time – once it came out of the box it vanished straight to our tummies – but here’s the Earl Grey Lemon muffin. I think it was a muffin – can you tell that I have zero idea on how to tell baked goodies apart? I only know one thing – everything from Sadie Rose is delicious!
Here I am with the lovely Sandy of the Cookie Cutter blog, she is one of the prettiest and nicest person I’ve met on the web. She also inspires me with her well-written posts over on her blog about her travels and also the quirky items she produces! So glad to chat with her for a bit! She also writes her own zine, and I am a proud of owner of both of her releases 
.
With the little time I had I managed to buy my staple flea market must-buys – PAPER GOODS! The LetterBox Project will be resurrected soon so I bought some awesome cards from Ong Hwee Yen:
This gorgeous notebook was from Kariton by 1372 Designs. This is made of kraft paper I think and I was pleased with the concept they had – recycling to create paper products. I love the hand-drawn print on this notebook and in keeping with the nature theme of the cards above I chose the one with the tree on the cover.
Though I spent a short time at Public Garden, it was a wonderful Saturday for me to have met these women who inspire me to pursue a creative life and to also to get to know some of the incredibly talented makers in Singapore. Really can’t wait for the next Public Garden flea!
[ s e e n + h e a r d ] Dreams & Reality
This year will probably go down in my personal history as the “Museum Year”. I dropped by SAM to see the TransCool Tokyo Exhibit in January, June saw me visiting the ArtScience Museum for some Dali goodness, was fortunate enough to go for the opening ceremony of the ABBAS Photo Exhibit last July, and went for the Night Lights Festival in September!
After my stint volunteering at the Singapore Writers Festival on Wednesday at SMU, I crossed the road over to the National Museum. They were having an Open House because it was Deepavali. Even if I was tired that my knees were literally jell-o, I just couldn’t pass up the chance to see the Dreams & Reality Exhibit.
At the National Museum of Singapore website the exhibit is described as:
“From the collection of the world renowned Musée d’Orsay, over 140 Salon, Realists, Impressionists and Post-Impressionists paintings, photographs and drawings from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century will specially tour to Singapore this year. Titled Dreams and Reality: Masterpieces of Painting, Drawing and Photography from the Musée d’Orsay, Paris, the exhibition explores the reaction of man towards modernity at the turn of the century from 1848 to 1912. The changing social and industrial landscapes of Paris in early modernity forced artists and photographers to rethink their approach to the visual world around them. Their varied responses generated new ways of depicting reality and a proliferation of styles.”
Since it was an Open House, the queue to this exhibit was reasonably long, I waited in line for almost twenty-minutes. I didn’t manage to grab myself one of those headset thingamajigs that would provide audio commentary on the pieces though as I was having tunnel vision and becoming giddy with excitement.
I liked the blend of mythology and “real life”. I once again have failed to procure myself a decent camera, so all the pictures you see here on this post was taken by my Samsung Galaxy SII phone, and it barely had twenty percent of battery power left at that time so I only managed to take a few pictures. Anyway, onward to the paintings!
[ s e e n + h e a r d ] Illuminated Ghosts
Curiosities by Alain Benini @ SAM Courtyard
[ s e e n + h e a r d ] Forever*Young Party
{ the creativity corner and the small tokens of thanks for my guests}
{ fun instax photos taken by raisa }
{ one of the candid moments that we had }
Two weeks ago, I celebrated my birthday~ with the theme FOREVER YOUNG!
It was a time of getting together my closest and dearest friends. The theme was FOREVER YOUNG, and even with little planning and coordinating, I’m so thankful that everybody had a lot of fun! We had a photobooth section, a creativity section, and a place where impromptu performances were given! We ate all my favorite comfort food, took lots of pictures with my Instax and Photobooth! Some of us even put on a show! It was by far the happiest birthday celebration I’ve spent here in Singapore! See more pictures below the cut!
[f l a s h b a c k] JUNE 2011 Highlights
I visited Marina Bay Sands more this month than any other month, and for good reason! June was a great month for watching shows and attending exhibits. Sometimes I enjoy myself too much I forget to take pictures! But oh well, here are some highlights for June 2011!
THE LION KING
June started off great! I was able to score tickets for The Lion King Musical! Some of you may not know but my siblings and I were total hardcore fans of Lion King – we’ve watched it so many times we memorized all the lines and even the songs. So when the opportunity came along for me to get discounted tickets for the show I jumped at it.
I admire director Julie Taymor for her vision in the Lion King. Everything was well thought out, the costumes, the masks the puppets that they used were just wonderful. I love the vibrant colours they used for the puppets and the makeup. The soundtrack that I loved so much sounded 100% better live and I had a girlcrush on Rafiki that night. It was a good mix of laughter, tears -yes I cried a bit! How can you not be moved when Mufasa died? – and nostalgia. I loved how it was really a 360-degree experience seeing the actors moving through the aisles, I also got a closer look on the bird puppets they used, it was a really amazing show!
Cirque Éloize
I am so thankful for Raisa for letting me tag along! My interest in dance was always relegated to watching Ballroom Dancing competitions when I was younger, and it was only recently that I came to appreciate and learn *gasp* modern dance. I think I held my breathe so many times during the performances, the dancing, the stunts – a real visual feast. There was so much energy during the show that I had to contain myself from jumping up on my seat and dancing too!
You can see how the dancers/acrobats redefine “circus”. I was impressed by how expertly they can control their bodies something that only comes with years and years of practice. I definitely recommend that everyone should watch iD!
ABBAS, 45 Years in Photography
Thanks to twitter, I managed to attend the opening of the retrospective ABBAS photo exhibit hosted by the National Museum of Singapore. First of all I just have to let this out – my guest and I were underdressed for the opening. I wasn’t even aware that Abbas himself will be there, yes I know I am such an ignoramus. It was with awe and horror that I decided to stay put, fighting off the urge to make a quick exit as we were like chickens in a party of swans.
With that out of the way, seeing the photo exhibit made me realize that having a camera doesn’t make you a legitimate photographer. The pictures that I saw moved me and I wish I could’ve spent more time looking at them. Questions of morality, religion, the very essence of human existence were posed in those pictures. Both haunting and thought-provoking, even the ordinary “Reluctant Pig” photo. It was not just a look into people’s everyday life – a Palestinian soldier, a Mexican funeral, monks – it was also a peek into the human condition.
The ABBAS, 45 Years in Photography exhibit runs from 18 JUN 2011- 18 SEP 2011 at the Exhibition Gallery, Basement of the National Museum of SingaporeArtScience Museum
Another big THANK YOU to dearest Raisa for this tour at the ArtScience Museum, where we visited the Shipwrecked, Van Gogh Alive and Dali exhibits. Van Gogh Alive exhibit was a little bit of a letdown, my excitement level at seeing all the retrieved artifacts at the Shipwrecked exhibit was higher. However, I did have fun at the Van Gogh Alive by interpreting Van Gogh’s paintings through dance – the hall was quite empty that time.
All I can say is “Dali is Awesome”, aside from recognizing “The Persistence of Memory” and the iconic mustache I was never really drawn to him. Thank God for the Dali Exhibit! I must say that I love Dali’s sculptures more. He was truly a visionary aside from being an artist.
There were a lot more things that happened like Camp R3 (which caused my allergies to come back and also the reason why I have sore throat, fever and cough since last week), watching Green Lantern (didn’t like it at all), winning in a giveaway that allowed me to have my own mini-art collection, and a lot of letters and packages sent and received. All in all June was an awesome month! Here’s to July being even better!
PS View more photos here. I need/want more flickr friends, please add me!
